Berth structure



R. G. CUDINI BERTH STRUCTURE Sept. 1, 1953 4 Sheetswheet l Filed Oct. 7, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

By 065@ d (Q///v/ ff ...r IILIIII |I Sept- 1 1953 R. @.cuDlNl 2,650,370

` BERTH STRUCTURE Filed oct. 7, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

R. G. CUDIN! BERTH STRUCTURE Sept. 1, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. '7, 1949 NVENToR. @065e @aD/M ATTORNEY Sept. 1, 1953 R. G. @Umm 2,650,370

BERTH STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 7, 1949 4 SheetsvSheet 4 Ir icl. l E 774 #a 7% /75 INVENTOR.`

BY @WM QW/m Patented Sept. 1, 1953 BERTI-1"' ASTRUCTURE v corporationotlvlichigan- 18 Claims.

This invention relates- -to berth structures :forli bedroom use in trains, ships andfresielencesf.1v

Arrobject -off the-'inventionfis to -provideafA unitary berth and supportingtstructurethatcan` Y be assembled exteriorlyof a l--bedroomto'.y tf ac3-1A curately in aY designated'spacewithin=the1^bedA room.

Another Aobj ect of`l4 they inventioni is to provide mechanism for-shifting-a pivoted berthbetween# prone and storage positions that can-be actuated by' an `attendant with minimumeort.

Another object of the `inventionV1 isy -tov provide a mounting for "an upper berth ofv a fcharacter i such that `the berthican be-swung'downwardly= beyond horizontal-position in order that thel bede 15 clothes can be applied oir-removed with easebyfaperson standing on the floor ofa room.

A furtherobject ofthe inventonis to pro-vide a closure flap structure for a Aspace betweeni upperY and lower pivotedfberths that willswing 20 with the lower berth .to "aposition'at the fr'ont thereof when in prone position."

A still further object ofithe invention isto-provde a flap, for closing 'asp-aceaboveiafstored berth pivoted in a supporting structure.' with" 25 associated control mechanism"forautomaticallyf lifting the ap and operable by theberth to closel` the iiap after it 'isn cleared "byithefberthrwhenf moving to stored' position.

Another object of the invention isto'iprovide' 30 a lee rail structure for va pivotedberththatwill automatically shift toward the bertliwhenbeing" moved tostored position to clear normally inter'- fer-ing` wall structure thereabove;

These 4and other "objects of. the invention@ will'l 35 be .apparent to those skilledin the artronr fa* study' of the fo11o'wng "description" and-*accom*4 f panying drawings,'n which? Fig."1` is a perspective view-of a rberth "structurep with pivoted berths storedposition:

FigrB isa front elevation; partly-insection;of'-v one end vofthe casing inl'which berthfactuating-1:` mechanism is housed;

Fig. 5 is a sectionatviewltakenonline 55w'ofl Fig; 3 showing the actuating `mechanism1for=the s-50 upper'brth-L Fig-:f6 vis a#sectionalviewrtaken.onrlinefS-ffof.. Fig-:f3 showing the actuating .mechanisms forathev lower berth.'

Fig is `aasectional:View talrenfon-lirief'li-"w'l:` OIE' 55 Fig. :5 shwngzflatchlreleasing mechanisms` Fig. 8 'is -a` sectionaluvew taken: on dinei8+f8 of 5 Fig. 1 showing details ofth'eupperfberths` Fig.` 9 isi-avsectional1view= taken` onffline-.S-B of Fig. ll 'showingfde'tailsof fthe lower berth; l

Fig. A10 is a'fragmentary front-xelevation-aliviewt of v thee-upper berth Pand `adj acent' 'casing .showing-1 the leerail.

Fig.v 11 isla sectional tfiewtahenfon line* -l |"L-I-I1vin of f Fig. `10 showing the latch mechanism lforthe# upperlberth.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary front elevationalf-viemf partly section, 1 showingfythe k--conneetionf -b tween the leeral sectionsr Fi`g;-13 is an 'elevationa'llview off-one end of the# upper berth wththe ladder in-stored position thereon.

Fig-.- 14 is a sectional view-fofi the upper Jberth operating mechanism taken *onrline |4`f-| -iof Fig; 3.

The illustratedberth 'structureiiormedas an assembled unit to` accurately iti'a--prescribed' space and then moved"'into a roomf'as' such orc disassembled and them-reassembled "within the l room; A bedroom wall l0 land floor l2areilluse trated andzit isto be understoodithat such room`J can' be in a residence, railroad `sleeping"cargship or in"various-"ot'her places :Where"th`e.use` of` berths is required. i

A supportingor 'carrier structure formed"`of" elements suitably "securedftogether isdn'dicated generally'bynumeral I4.' The carrierstru'cture includes` end. compartments .I6 having trans=` versely spaced walls 16; base yI8 and topwall 20` The carrier structure preferably has"a..bottom" front w-all 22 and Ya toprear wall'24. 'Walls'l and 24' are provided with anges-28 thatareseecured by suitable meansetorwallI `|0 of theroom The end'compartments I6 are preferably box-.. shaped in cross-section.`

One or more berth pans -32 l are pivotally mounted in the `carrier `structure to. swing into. a horizontal prone position for` occupancyl or into vertical storage position. with'. the bottom Wallsflush with the front walliia'ces of thecarrier structure. The berth pans are formed with 'spaced` marginal Walls-3l!` at eachv end andspaoermem-v bers 36' are xedbetweensuch pairs of. end vvall's,A see. Fig.' 14.. Aligned pins 38Iproje'ct through.v openings in. the end walls 3,11` and/associated spacer .members` ililand` are .Welded to plates 401i fixed by.- screws 42v against` the inner faces. of.the., inner members .34. One pivot member. ofeach. berthpan is suitablymounted ina bearing l.plate 33..xed.on, the adjacent end `wall ofthe carrieriv structure and theotherpivot. memberaof eachf. berth-pan is mounted in.` the .other `hollow end...

I' 3 wall of the carrier structure in which mechanism operable for swinging the berth pan-s is housed.

The mechanisms for swinging the berth pans on their pivots are similar and the same identication will be applied to similar elements thereof. A gear'casing 44 is secured in one of the end compartments I6 by bolts 46 and is formed with bearings 48, 59 and 52. The hub of segmental drive gear 54 is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical bearing 56 fixed in bearing 48 and has an arm 58 xed to the adjacent pan end wall by bolts 59. Berth pivot pin 38 extends into a bearing shell 55 carried in a-recess in one end of bearing member 55. Gear 54 meshes with worm gear 62 fixed on one end of shaft 64, and gear 66 on the other end of suchshaft meshes with gear 68 on shaft 12. Bearings 59 and 52 on casing 44 support shafts 64 and '|2. The shaft 12 extends outside of the end wall of thesupporting structure of the berths and has a handle,

16 xed to the projecting end thereof by pin 18. Gear 54 is formed with an arm 1|) and berth counterbalance spring '69 is connected at its ends to arm 18 and the adjacent side wall of the carrier structure. The mechanisms for pivoting the upperV and lowerberths are substantially identical except of course they are arranged to operate in reverse directions to obtain similar berth swinging motion. v

Rotation of handle 16 will rotate shaft l2 therewith and through gear |58, shaft 64 and gear 66 will ldrive gear 54 and berth carrier arm 58 to swing the berth on its pivot. This form of gearing is of a self-locking character such that the berth with the spring counterbalance will remain in any position'of its pivotal arc when operation of the handle ceases and, at the same time, it is very sensitive to interference to movement of the berth as such resistance will be immediately felt by the operator so that he can cease operation of the mechanism upon such occasions. Such interference can be caused by mattresses 88 in the berths, by the bedclothes (not shown) or otherI Vparaphernalia that might be caught between the berths and the walls of the supporting structure. 'Ihe gearing is also of a reduction character such that little manual effort is required to swing the berths on their pivots.

In order to permit freedom of pivotal movement of the berths it is necessary that they be spaced apart when in vertical stored position and also that they must be spaced beneath the top wall of the supporting structure at the free end of the upper berth. It is contemplated to close` these spaces with iiaps 82 and 84 and to automatically operate such flaps so that they will be flush with the bottoms of the berth pans when in stored position and moved away from such position to permit clearance when the berths are being moved away from stored position. The mechanism associated with the berths for operating the iiaps are different.

The upper flap 82 is secured to the top wall by piano hinge 86. One end of the flap has an angle member 88 xed thereto in one portion ofwhich slot 98 is formed for receiving pin 92 xed to actuator arm 94 fixed on shaft 96. Shaft 96 extends through and is suitably mounted on the inner end wall of one of the end compartments IG and has fixed thereto, within the end compartment, gear 9S that meshes with idler gear |88 suitably mounted on shaft |02. Drive gear |84 meshes with gear |90 and is xed lon shaft |96 which also has bell crank |98 fixed thereto. Shafts |02 and |86 are mounted in 4 journals 89 xed to the adjacent faces of walls I6. One arm of the bell crank carries a roller ||0 adapted to be engaged by an abutment ||2 on one end of the upper berth pan and the inner end wall I6 is provided with an arcuate slot through which the roller projects. The other arm of the bell crank has arubber "coated weight ||4 suspended therefrom by rod H6. As the upper berth moves into stored position, abutment ||2 will engage roller ||9 to swing the bell crank anti-clockwise causing gear |84 to rotate anti-clockwise and gear |89 to rotate clockwise which last mentioned gear in turn will drive gear 98 anti-clockwiseto swing arm 94 downwardly to close the flap due to the sliding pin connectionvtherewith. As the berth moves away from the4v bell crank,` weight lili will move gear |84 clockwise and idler gear |88 will move gear 98 clockwise to raise the iiap sufficiently for the berth toplearthe same. The unanchored vend of angle member 88 terminates short of the adjacent end of flap 82 so that the portion 93 of `the ilap can engage stop member 9| on the endof pan 32 to limit inward swinging of the flap beyond a position flush with the bottom of the berth pans when in stored position.

The lower flap 84 is pivotally connected to the closed position -with relation to the opening between the berths. As flap 84 is hinged to the lower berth, it will move therewith and will be swung on its hinge I8 by the link connection so that it will lie parallel with the front 'of the berth "i when the berth is in prone position. Thus, when the berth is in stored position, ilap 84 will lie ilush with the bottoms of the two berths and will close the opening therebetween and when the' lower berth is in prone position, the ap will lie in advance of the front wall of the lower berth in parallel relation therewith. The link retains the flap in substantially vertical positionin any position of berth movement.

The mechanism for actuating the upper berth `is of such a nature that, when desired, the berth can be moved to below horizontal prone position so that the attendant can apply or remove the bedclothes while standing on the oor and without undue reaching or the use of a stool or ladder, such position being shownin dotted lines in Fig. 5. When the upper berth has reached prone horizontal position, detents A|30 will engage in openings in the end wall structures as they are xed to rods |32 normally urged in such engaging relation by spring |34 bearing against the bracket |36 fixed to the inside ofthe berth, see Figs. '7 and 10. Rods |32 are fixed to spaced rack members |38 that engage with gear |48 having a bearing shaft |4| carried by bracket |5|. Release mechanism is associated with one of the detents to remove the same from locking position in the opening in the' end wall of the supporting structure when it is desired to move the upper berth below horizontal position. Such release mechanism includes a lev'er |42 having head` |44 at one end for engaging the'v detent |30.` Thisl `such bracket and lever so that the lever `head |44 is normally urged away from the detent. An

actuator for the lever in the form of a camming rod |52 `extends through the front wall of the `end structure of the bearth carrier structure and the outer end thereof is -enlargedto form a knob |54 by means of which the rod can be manipulated. When the knob is pushed to its innermost position, the camming rod |52 will rock the lever |42 Aso that the head |44 will press detent |30 out of the opening in which it extends when locking the berth in horizontal position. As the two detents are interconnected to operate simultaneously in opposite directions, they will both be withdrawn when the release mechanism is actuated to disengage the associated detent. The `camming rod |52 is slidably mounted in sleeve |56 suitably secured to the inside face of the front of the end wall of the supporting structure carrying the berths.

The upper berth is provided with a Vlee rail structure formed of sections mounted and connected in `such manner that the rail sections will shift while swinging the berth into and out of the mounting structure to clear normally interfering parts thereof. Front lee rail section |60 has depending legs |62 iixed thereto that are pivotaly mounted on brackets |64 xed to and projecting above the front wall Vof the upper berth. The end lee rail section |66 has a rear leg |68 mounted at its lower end on pivot fixed to the adjacent end wall of the carrier structure. The forward end of rail section |66 is connected to an end of rail `section |60 by pivot pin |12. As Vthe end section of the lee rail is Vmounted on pivot |18 Xed lto the carrier structure and is pivotally connected to the pivotally mounted front rail section |60, the front rail section will be swung downwardly and inwardly relative to the berth as the berth swings toward stored position in the supporting structure. As the upper berth is swung downwardly to horizontal posi- Ation for occupancy, the end lee rail section,

through its pivotal connection with the carrier structure and the front rail section, will cause the front rail section to swing in an upward and outward direction relative to the pan so that the legs |62 will be in vertical position when the berth is in prone horizontal position. Thus, the lee rail structure shifts its position, to clear flap 82,' which is moving relative thereto while the berth is being swung between vertical and horizontal positions.

The upper berth is provided on its front face with means for anchoring a ladder either in position for use or in stored position. The ladder is formed of side members |14 and rungs |15 pivotally connected together. The legs are provided at their upper ends with looped head members |16. The loops are pivotally secured on the front side of the upper berth by bolts |18 so that the ladder can be swung to a vertical or horizontal position. When the ladder is swung to horizontal position, the side members will lie in close proximity and one leg can be held by clip |80 secured on the side of the berth. When in stored position, the ladder will swing up or down with the berth so that it will be housed in the berth supporting structure behind flap 82.

Bedclothes retainers |82 are hinged along one edge to the rear side of the berth pans and are provided at their opposite edge with rollers |84 engaging `in `vertical .guides |86 xed to room- Brackets |88 are 'provided on the lower berth for engaging rabutments |90, .adjustably carried by brackets |92 xed to the supporting structure, to limit `downward pivoting of the Vberth beyond horizontal. The berths are supported by links |94 secured to Vtheir `ends andito the adjacent end walls of the supporting structure.V

The invention .may be 4modiiied in various respects as will occur to those skilled in the art and the exclusive use of all modifications as comewithin the vscope of the appended claims is contemplated.

'What is claimed is:

`1. In `a berth structure, a supporting carrier structure having top and side walls, a berth pan pivotally `mounted between the side walls to be swung downwardly into horizontal position or 4upwardly into stored vertical `position with its bottom wall flush with the front of the top and side walls of the carrier supporting structure, a front ap `adapted to cover the space in'thesupporting structure between the front of the top Wall and the upper end .of the berth pan bottom when in stored position, means for 4pivotally mounting the flap to the top wall, means operable to swing said flap to Vand from-closure position, means for automatically actuating said flap swinging means to open the flap, and means projecting' into the `path of :movement of'said berth pan and operable thereby when :moving to `stored position for actuating the iiap swinging Vmeans to close the ilap.

2. In a berth structure, a supporting `carrier structure having top and side walls, a berth rpan pivotally mounted Abetween the side walls to be swung downwardly into horizontal ,position or upwardly into Ystored vertical `position vwith its bottom wall flush with the front of the side -and top walls, a front nap adapted to cover the space in the supporting structure between -the front of the top wall and the upper end of the berth pan bottom when in stored vertical position, means for pivotally mounting :the nap to the top wall, Agear means operable tofswing `said flap to and from closure position, a weight connected to the gear means for automatically actuating the same to `swing the flap `into open position, and means projecting into the Ypath of movement of said berth pan and operable thereby when moving to stored position for'actuating the gear means to close the ap.

3. In a berth structure, a supporting carrier structure having top and side walls, a berth pan pivotally mounted between `theside walls to be 'swung downwardly into horizontal position or upwardly into .stored vertical position with its bottom wall flush with the iront ofthe top and side walls of the carrier supporting structure, `a iront flap adapted to cover the space in the supporting structure between the front of the top wall and the upper end of the berth pan bottom when in stored position, means for `pivotally mounting the flap to the vtop wall, gear means operable to swing said flap to and from closure position, `means for automatically actuatingsaid gear means to normally open said flap, and means projecting into the path'of movement of said berth pan and operable thereby when moving to a stored position for actuating the gear means to close the iiap.

,4. In .a berth structure, a supporting carrier structure having top and side walls, a berth `pan pivotally mounted between the side walls to be swung downwardly into horizontal position or upwardly into stored vertical position with its bottom wall flush with the front of the top and side walls of the carrier supporting structure, a front flap adapted to cover the space between the front of the top wall and the upward end of the berth pan bottom when in stored position, means for pivotally mounting the flap to the top wall, gear means operable to swing said iiap to and from closed position, a bell crank connected to actuate one of the gears in said gearing, and means engaging said bell crank normally acting to effect opening movement of the flap, said bell crank projecting into the path of movement of said berth pan and operable thereby when moving to stored position for actuating the gear means to close the flap.

5. In a berth structure, a supporting carrier structure having top and side walls, a berth pan pivotally mounted between the side walls to be swung downwardly into horizontal position or upwardly into stored vertical position with its bottom wall flush with the front of the top and side walls of the carrier supporting structure, a front flap adapted to cover the space between the front of the top wall and the upward end of the berth pan bottom when in stored position, means for pivotally mounting the flap to the top wall, said flap having a slotted end ange, an arm, a pin in the slot to which one end of the arm is pivotally mounted, gear means connected with the arm and operable to swing the same, means normally urging the gear means in a direction to shift the arm into position opening the flap, and means associated with the gear means projecting into the path of movement of said berth pan and operable thereby when moving to stored position for actuating the gear means to move the arm into iiap closing position.

6. In a berth structure, a supporting carrier structure having top and side walls, a berth pan pivotally mounted between the side walls to be swung downwardly into horizontal position or upwardly into stored vertical position with its bottom wall flush with the front of the top and side walls of the carrier supporting structure, a front iiap adapted to cover the space between the front of the top wall and the upward end of the berth pan bottom when in stored position, means for pivotally mounting the flap to the top wall, means including gearing operable to swing said ap to and from closed position, a bell crank connected with the gearing, means engaging one arm of the bell crank to actuate the gearing in a direction effecting opening of the flap, and an abutment on the berth pan for engaging and operating the other arm of the bell crank to cause actuation of the gearing to close the nap when the berth pan is moving to stored position.

7. In a berth structure spaced supporting walls, upper and lower berth pans pivotally mounted in aligned relation on said walls and swingable into vertical stored relation between said walls or into horizontal prone position, said berth pans being spaced when in stored position, a flap for closing the space between said berth pans pivotally carried by the lower pan, and means connected to said flap and one of said walls for retaining said flap in vertical position.

8. In a berth structure, spaced supporting end walls, upper and lower berth pans pivotally mounted in vertically aligned relation on said 9. In a berth structure, spaced supporting end walls, upper and lower berth pans pivotally mounted in vertically aligned relation on said walls and swingable into vertical stored relation between said walls or into horizontal prone position partially outside of said walls, said berth pans being spaced vertically when in stored position, a iiap pivoted to the outside bottom portion of the front wall of the lower pan,

and a link member pivoted to an end of saidl flap and to one of said walls for holding the flap in vertical position regardless of the lower pan position.

10. In a berth structure, spaced supporting end walls, upper and lower berth pans pivotally mounted in vertically aligned relation on said walls and swingable into vertical stored relation between said walls or into horizontal prone position partially outside of said walls, saidberth pans being spaced vertically when in stored position, a flap pivoted to the bottom portion of the outer side wall of the lower pan, said flap having its ends projecting beyond the ends of the pan, a slotted link member pivotally connected to one extending end of the flap, pivot means ixed to one of the walls and extending through the slot in said link member, and pressure means carried by and urging said link member in a direction to maintain the flap in vertical position.

11. In a berth structure for a room, supporting walls, a berth pan pivoted to walls in the upper portion of the room, gearing operable to swing the pan between vertical stored position and a position below horizontal, means restraining swinging movement of the pan below horizontal position, and means operable to release said restraining means to permit swinging of the pan below horizontal position.

12. In a berth structure ior a room, supporting walls provided with openings, a berth pan pivoted to the walls in the upper portion of the room, said pan being swingable between vertical stored position and a position below horizontal, detent means carried by the pan and adapted to project automatically into the wall openings when the pan is in horizontal position to restrain the pan from swinging downwardly, a lever in a wall operable to release the detent means from the openings, and means extending outwardly from the front of the wall carrying the lever operable to actuate the lever.

13. In a berth structure for a room, supporting walls provided with openings, a berth pan pivoted to the walls in the upper portion of the room, gearing in one of the walls operable to swing the pan between vertical stored position and a position below horizontal, detent means carried by the pan and adapted to project automatically into the wall openings when the pan is in horizontal position to restrain further downward swinging of the pan, a lever in one of the walls operable to release said detent means from the wall openings, and a cam rod projecting from the front of the wall carrying the lever and operable to rock the lever for releasing the detent means from the wall openings and thereby permit the mechanism to operate for swinging the berth pan below horizontal position.

14. A unitary bed structure comprising a housing having hollow end walls, a top Wall and lower front wall, upper and lower berth pans between and pivotally mounted on said end walls, said pans being swingable into aligned vertical stored position between the end Walls with their bottoms flush with the front surfaces of the housing and into horizontal position for occupancy, said pans being spaced when in stored position and the upper pan being spaced from the top wall when in stored positions, shiftable flaps for closing said spaces, and means operable by said pans for shifting the position of said flaps.

15, An actuator mechanism for swinging a pivotally mounted berth pan comprising a casing having xed bearings, a driven gear rotatably mounted on a casing bearing and having pan actuating arm means, a driven shaft mounted in a casing bearing, a drive shaft mounted in a casing bearing, a gear fixed on said drive shaft, a gear on said driven shaft meshing with the gear on said drive shaft, a gear fixed on said driven shaft meshing with said driven gear, and a handle on said drive shaft operable to actuate said gearing.

16. An actuator mechanism for swinging a pivotally mounted berth pan comprising a xed gear casing, a driven member rotatably carried by the casing having a worm gear sector and a pan actuating arm xed to the berth pan, a driven shaft carried by the casing, a worm gear fixed to said shaft meshing with said worm gear sector, a driven shaft carried by the casing, a bevel drive gear xed on the drive shaft, a bevel gear fixed on the driven shaft meshing with the drive gear, handle means on the drive shaft operable to actuate the associated pan swinging mechanism, said gears being of the reduction type and sensitive to interference, and a berth pan counterbalancing spring anchored at one end and fixed at its other end to said driven member.

17. In a berth structure, supporting end wall means, a berth pan pivotally mounted at its end on the wall means, upstanding brackets xed on the front side of the pan, a lee rail having a section above the front side of the pan and an end section above an end of the pan, means pivotally connecting the rail sections together, arms xed to the front lee rail section and pivotally connected tothe brackets, and means pivotally anchoring the end lee rail section to the adjacent wall means, said front lee rail section being swung toward or away from the berth pan by the anchored lee rail end section as the berth pan is swung on its pivots.

18. A prefabricated unitary bed structure for a predetermined space in a room comprising a housing having hollow end wall structures, a top wall, an upper front wall and a bottom front wall, upper and lower berth pans between and pivotally mounted on said end wall structures, said pans being spaced vertically when moved to stored position and said upper pan being spaced from said upper front wall when in vertical stored position, gearing structures in one end wall structure operable to swing the berth pans into vertical stored position or horizontal position, iiaps for closing the space between said berth pans and the space above the upper berth when in vertical position, and means in said end wall structure operated by swinging movement of the berth pans for actuating the flaps to close spaces between the berth pans and between the upper berth pan and the front top wall when the pans are swung to vertical stored position.

ROGER G. CUDINI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 254,320 Horne Feb. 28, 1882 508,989 Scott Aug. 29, 1893 1,846,824 White Feb. 23, 1932 2,004,898 Marchant June 11, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,930 Australia Sept. 8, 1931 16,288 Great Britain of 1887 

